The Microsoft Xbox has been with us for a long while now. Since its launch back in 2001 there have been many great games and awesome moments, so let’s take a look at some of the most memorable.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

This long awaited Star Wars game on the console had a huge amount of buzz surrounding it. With a whole new way to utilise the famed ‘Force’, players could use special Jedi powers to manipulate enemies with the power of their mind. Well, not literally, but what it did mean was an exciting in-game engine that allowed you to throw characters and objects through the air as if they weighed nothing. A tremendously fun game that served both the sci-fi geeks and regular gamers well.

Batman: Arkham City

The popular Batman series received a breath of new life on the Xbox with this release. While the game looked and sounded like a movie that you were directing, the real greatness was in the gameplay. The close-quarters combat was excellent, with a mixture of comic book and martial arts fighting. It was like a beat ’em up with an amazing story. The voice-over work was also exceptional, utilising the same voices that were used in the Batman Animated Series. The follow-up title, the excellent Arkham Asylum, also helped to sell Xbox consoles and games online at a rapid rate.

Grand Theft Auto IV

The notoriously great GTA series hit the Xbox with a bang. Already an established franchise, this incarnation of GTA was perhaps the most fun yet. Set in New York (under the name Liberty City), you could decide to play it straight and follow the story mode, or do whatever the hell you liked! That’s the fun of GTA games. Feel like stealing a helicopter and landing on the Empire State Building? Go for it.

Halo 3

Perhaps the most famous sci-fi franchise in gaming, the third instalment didn’t disappoint. With a focus on multi-player action, this game was built for online gamers but also had a strong enough narrative to be great in single-player mode too. The whole world in which the game exists is beautifully crafted, giving an epic feel to the gaming experience. As much a science-fiction experience as it is a game, this is a true classic.

Red Dead Redemption

A Wild West stampede of a game, Red Dead took the gaming world by storm. Made by Rockstar Games, it has all the fun factor and free-roaming style of the GTA games, but with a stunning western setting and a killer story arc. The attention to detail in Red Dead is second to none, including incredibly well rendered animals that fully interact with your character. Like GTA you can choose to follow the story, or just go your own way like a lone Clint Eastwood riding across the plains. This one will take days from you and you’ll still be wanting more.

Rick Peters writes for a number of blogs and online articles on gaming and retro systems. Check out his latest tips and recommendations if you ever decide to try to sell Xbox consoles and games online.